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Permalink Reply by LowcarbVeghead on October 9, 2011 at 7:30am

Hi Gerri,

In Colorado, one can legally join a cow share program and receive raw milk from cows we own, so theoretically, I pay the dairy monthly to maintain my cow, and they deliver the milk from her to cow share participants like me.

I don't count carbs per se, but use Dr. Richard Bernstein's guidelines, 6 breakfast, 12 for lunch/dinner, 12 for snack... so 30- 42 a day.

Can you refer me to the troubling research about flax you are referring to? Thanks.

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Permalink Reply by Gerri on October 9, 2011 at 8:32am

I follow Dr. Bernstein's recommendations also.

How many grams of protein do you eat? If you're not counting carbs, how do you dose?

Flaxseeds have phytoestrogen effects & can effect Vit Bs. Chia seeds are a better alternative. They don't have to be ground to be digestible, so they also don't go rancid quickly like flax. I also don't care of the taste of flaxseeds.

http://equinexia.jimdo.com/chia_seed_versus_flaxseed.php (this company sells chia seeds, but I checked his research)
http://www.livestrong.com/article/76960-side-effects-warnings-flaxs...
http://www.dietaryfiberfood.com/flaxseed-sideeffects.php

From the Mayo Clinic http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/flaxseed/NS_patient-flaxseed/DSECT...

"One study reports that the menstrual period may be altered in women who take flaxseed powder by mouth daily. Due to the possible estrogen-like effects of flaxseed ( not flaxseed oil), it should be used cautiously in women with hormone sensitive conditions such as endometriosis, polycystic ovary syndrome, uterine fibroids, or cancer of the breast, uterus, or ovary. Some natural medicine textbooks advise caution in patients with hypothyroidism, although little scientific information is available in this area. Flaxseed and flaxseed oil may increase the risk of bleeding, based on early studies that show decreased clotting of blood. Caution is advised in patients with bleeding disorders, in people taking drugs that increase the risk of bleeding, and in people planning to undergo medical, surgical, or dental procedures. Dosing of blood-thinning medications may need to be adjusted. In animal studies, flaxseed has increased the number of red blood cells.

Several studies in humans report an increased risk of prostate cancer in men taking alpha-linolenic acid (which is present in flaxseed) by mouth. One small study of men with prostate cancer reports that flaxseed supplements do not increase prostate specific antigen (PSA) levels. Until more information is available, men with prostate cancer or at risk for prostate cancer should avoid flaxseed and alpha-linolenic acid supplements."

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Permalink Reply by LowcarbVeghead on October 9, 2011 at 12:04pm

Gerri, thanks for those flax links. Hadn't seen that before. I've also seen some concerns about chia seeds by Loren Cordain of the Paieo diet. So flax can be added to the list as with soy for acting like a hormone. Good thing the taste and fiber effect of flax auto controls for not eating large doses! I'll still for with the benefits and of flax and chia outweighing the risks for now.

As for protein, I don't count how much I'm eating, but am mindful to add a whey protein shake regularly if I've skimped on the cheese and nuts for few meal cycles. I'd prefer to stick to eating things I know are low carbs, rather than attempt to count and measure. If I do become insulin dependent, I'm sure I'll have to change my strategy. How do you keep count?

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Permalink Reply by Gerri on October 9, 2011 at 4:01pm

Since you don't know how much protein you're eating, how do you know it's adequate? I was dismayed learning how low protein my former vegetarian diet was. This brings me back to the original dilemma. How to get enough protein without exceeding 30-35 carbs?

Sorry. Don't know why I assumed you were on insulin.

Eating low carb veggies is wonderful, of course, as is eliminating the foods you mentioned. Carbs add up. Without tallying, you don't really know. Clearly, you're doing well from your A1c.

I bought an EatSmart scale soon after diagnosis. It calculates carbs, protein, fat, sodium, etc. in 999 preprogrammed cooked & raw food. Love it. Anything not in the program, I look up on-line. I also use on-line nutritional sites to plug in recipe ingredients. After a while, I got good at guesstimating meals I don't cook myself.

Do you recall the issues with chia seeds? Every low carb site I've seen extols the virtues of flaxseeds. It's quite the low carb workhorse & in tons of recipes as flaxseed meal, so appears that quite a bit is being consumed by low carbers.

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Permalink Reply by Judith on October 9, 2011 at 9:48pm

Okay. Thanks, Gerri. I think I'm okay for the small amount of flax I consume 5 years post oophrectomy. But your reminders are sooo helpful---especially given my endless hotflashes. I shall review!!!....xx000

Permalink Reply by Carrie on October 9, 2011 at 5:29am

Ooh great, will join the group :) I'm a low-carbing type 1 diabetic vegetarian :)

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Permalink Reply by Rob on October 9, 2011 at 9:06pm

@ Lowcarbveghead, what was your A1c when you first got diagnosed? I'm interested in what you have to say. I'm still doing more research on diabetes, and a vegan/raw vegan diet. I'm going to read Gabriel Cousens book again, because I missed alot of steps. I'm interested to hear what other vegans/raw vegans before and after A1c and FBS stories.

@ Gerri, thank you for the Flax and Chia seed info. Wow!! I've been reading several online articles, and I'll never use flax seed again

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Permalink Reply by Rob on October 9, 2011 at 10:02pm

If you guys have a chance, check this video out. Hope it loads

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SGjVJvOS8SU

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Permalink Reply by LowcarbVeghead on October 9, 2011 at 10:10pm

it's a great movie. I've seen it before. Thanks for posting the link. Had no idea it was online now. It's a small sample of diabetics who mostly improve their numbers. The movie does a great job at showing the personal side of the struggles and joys of self disciplined raw foods veggie diet. Unfortunately, it does not show the reduced carbohydrates and improved lifestyle changes that most went through during their stay. To my mind, it's still the low/lower carb intake and increased exercise that makes the difference. Veggies or meat bases diets alike.

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Permalink Reply by Brian (bsc) on October 10, 2011 at 7:39am

I've talked about this movie before. You can see previous discussion by simply searching for "Cousens." The movie raised quite an uproar for it's claims that you could reverse T1 diabetes. Gabriel Cousens is really kinda a sleezy guy, having had his medical license revoked among other things. And the movie was backed by PCRM and PETA raising serious questions about motivations. Everything I've read suggests that humans long ago adapted to an omnivore diet, with significant portions of our fuel coming from animal proteins. Our digestive tracts are no longer able properly able to digest raw foods. And the raw vegan diet is simply a new spin on the Allen starvation diet. It may well work quite well for a few weeks, but after that bad stuff starts to happen.

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Permalink Reply by Gerri on October 10, 2011 at 10:05am

Thanks, bsc. Agree. Had to shake my head at Cousens' statement about the body going into "insulin shock" at using less insulin. He doesn't look healthy to me. He looks skeletal from the result of a low protein/low fat diet. Quite unhealthy.

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Permalink Reply by Rob on October 10, 2011 at 8:28pm

@ BCS, I don't knock the Gabriel Cousens method, because that's how I got my blood sugar from 425 down to 120's, and my triglycerides from 1180 down to 150 in 3 months, without medication. People used to say the same things about Atkins, and Dr. Bernstein. They were considered quacks, and were pushed away by many, many people when they brought their theories to the world. Now their considered gods amoungst men in many circles.

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